Archive for the ‘Donald Trump’ Category

How Trump feels about WikiLeaks: A timeline – USA TODAY

The website claims they have several hundred million lines of code from the CIA's hacking arsenal that includes damaging information. USA TODAY NETWORK

President Trump has remained mum about the release of CIA documents by WikiLeaks on Tuesday.

While Trump praised the organization during the 2016 presidential campaign, he has been at odds with them in recent months, including over Trump's attack on Wikileaks source Chelsea Manning and the president's ongoing refusal to release his tax returns. Trump lastmentioned WikiLeaks on Twitter onNov. 5, 2016, three days prior to Election Day, when he posted a story about a WikiLeaks release and Clinton campaign aides.

Here are some of the notable times Trump has talked about WikiLeaks in the past:

Trump: "I think it's disgraceful."

Where: In a preview for a December 2010 interview withKilmeade & Friends, as reported by CNN

Context: Trump, years prior to announcing his presidential campaign, appeared on the Kilmeade & Friends, a radio show on Fox News. In a clip posted on YouTube to preview the interview, host Brian Kilmeade mentioned WikiLeaks, saying, "You didn't have anything to do with it, did you?" Trump replied, "Nope, but I think it's disgraceful. I think there should be a death penalty or something." Earlier that week in a move that helped bring WikiLeaks into international view, the nonprofit organization began releasing leaked U.S. embassy cables.

Trump: Went on a tweetstorm to talk about the WikiLeaks release of emails from the Democratic National Committee. One tweet: "Leaked e-mails of DNC show plans to destroy Bernie Sanders. Mock his heritage and much more. On-line from Wikileakes, really vicious. RIGGED"

Where: Twitter

Context: On July 22, 2016, WikiLeaks dumped thousands of emails and attachments from top aides at the DNC. The emails raised questions about whether Democrats tried to undercut Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign in order to favor Hillary Clinton.

Trump: "I love WikiLeaks!"

Where: A campaign rally in Pennsylvania

Context: A few days before then-candidate Donald Trump spoke to supporters in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., WikiLeaks began releasing the emails of Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.The emails were dropped within an hour of the release of the now infamous Access Hollywoodvideo of Trump bragging of kissing and groping women (and using some choice language to do so). At his campaign rally, Trump read the excerpts of Clinton's past closed-door speeches, which were contained within the emails released by WikiLeaks (and he twisted some of those excerpts while doing so).

Trump: "So in one case youre talking about highly classified information. In the other case youre talking about John Podesta saying bad things about the boss."

Where:Press conference at the White House

Context: During the press conference, Trump addressed leaks that resulted in the resignation of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn earlier that week, saying they werea "real problem." When a reporter noted that the president had encouraged leaks during the campaign, specifically from WikiLeaks, Trump replied that those releasesdid not compare because it was not classified: Podesta "said terrible things about her. But it wasn't classified information."

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2m2IR8F

See original here:
How Trump feels about WikiLeaks: A timeline - USA TODAY

Donald Trump sends B-52 NUCLEAR BOMBERS to South Korea after North fires missiles at Japan and US warns of … – The Sun

Secretary of Defence James Mattissaid the US "remains steadfast in its commitment" to the defence of its allies

DONALD Trump is sending nuclear bombers to the Korean peninsula as tensions in the region reach breaking point.

North Koreaand the US have beenteetering on the brink of war for months after Kim Jong-un carried out a series of controversial missile launches.

Reuters

Earlier this week, trigger-happy Kim pushed his luck once more when he fired off four ballistic missiles into the seas near Japan.

Now US military chiefs arereportedly planning to fly in B-1 and B-52 bombers built to carry nuclear bombs to show America has had enough.

Getty Images

South Korea and the US have also started their annual Foal Eagle military exercise sending a strong warning to North Korea over its actions.

A military official said 300,000 South Korean troops and 15,000 US personnel are takingpart in the operation.

Secretary of Defence James Mattissaid the US remains steadfast in its commitment to the defence of the South, according to Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt Jeff Davis.

He further emphasised that any attack on the United States or its allies will be defeated and any use of nuclear weapons will be met with a response that is effective and overwhelming, said Capt David.

Washington is also expected to deploy a series of strategic assets from the US as well as from military bases in Guam and Japan, reports the Korea Times.

The USS Carl Vinson, a Nimitz-class supercarrier, will join the Foal Eagle exercise after departing from San Diego.

The nuke-powered aircraft carrier will carry 24 F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter, ten air tankers, ten S-3 Viking anti-sub aircraft, six SH-3H Sea King helicopters, four EA-6B Prowler jamming aircraft and four E-2 Hawkeye early-warning aircraft.

It will be accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG-57) and two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers.

AP:Associated Press

Reuters

From the US Marine Corps in Japan, F-35B stealth fighters will be deployed to the peninsula for the first time.

"An F-35B is capable of evading anti-aircraft radar and making preemptive strikes," a military official said.

North Korea repeatedly protests that both Foal Eagle and Key Resolve are rehearsals for invasion.

Pyongyang's Korea Central News Agency reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has stressed "a need for preparation for a fight".

He listed guidelines to strike South Korea and the US "mercilessly".

See original here:
Donald Trump sends B-52 NUCLEAR BOMBERS to South Korea after North fires missiles at Japan and US warns of ... - The Sun

Donald Trump could be impeached on four grounds, former Labor secretary says – The Independent

There are now four grounds to impeachDonald Trumpand a fifth is "on its way", according to former Labour Secretary Robert Reich.

Posting on Twitter, Mr Reich outlined the four reasons he thinks Mr Trump could be impeached.

He said Mr Trump is "'unfaithfully' executing his duties" by accusing former President Barack Obama of "undertaking an illegal (and impeachable) act."

Donald Trump signs revised travel ban

Last weekend, Mr Trump accused Mr Obama of wiretapping his phones in Trump Tower, though he provided no evidence for his claim.

A spokesman for Mr Obama denied he ever ordered the wiretapping of any US citizen.

Mr Reich also said although part of the constitution forbids government officials from taking things of value from foreign governments, "Trump is making big money off his Trump International Hotel by steering foreign diplomatic delegations to it, and will make a bundle off China's recent decision to grant his trademark applications for the Trump brand decisions Chinese authorities arrived at directly because of decisions Trump has made as president."

China recently granted preliminary approval for dozens of Trump-branded businesses, including new hotels, spas, massage parlours and personal security services.

The former Labor Secretary also said Mr Trump's ban on travel from six Muslim-majority countries violates the 1st Amendment of the Constitution, which bans any law "respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

He also said Mr Trump "labelling the press the 'enemy of the people' and choosing whom he invites to news conferences based on whether they've given him favourable coverage" could be another reason for impeachment, as he said it violates the 1st Amendment on the freedom of the press.

Finally, he wrote:"Article III Section 3 of the Constitution defines 'treason against the United States' as 'adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort.' Evidence is mounting that Trump colluded with Russian operatives to win the 2016 presidential election."

Mr Trump has repeatedly denied his team had contact with Russian officials during the 2016 election, but was revealed to have met with Russia's US ambassador at the height of his campaign.

"The question is no longer whether there are grounds to impeach Trump. The practical question is whether there is the political will," Mr Reich concluded.

"As long as Republicans remain in the majority in the House (where a bill of Impeachment originates), it's unlikely.

"Another reason why it's critically important to flip the House in 2018."

Read this article:
Donald Trump could be impeached on four grounds, former Labor secretary says - The Independent

Donald Trump: Psychiatry professors say ‘dangerous’ US President must be removed from post for public safety – The Independent

Donald Trump is dangerous and drastic steps must be taken to protect the public from him, two leading psychiatrists have warned.

The Presidents erratic behaviour, including repeated failure to distinguish between reality and fantasy and paranoid claims of conspiracy, cast doubt over his ability to react rationallyin a crisis, they said.

In a letter to the New York Times, Judith Herman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and Robert Lifton, a lecturer in psychiatry at Columbia University, said they were not attempting to diagnose Mr Trump.

We are in no way offering a psychiatric diagnosis, which would be unwise to attempt from a distance," they wrote.

"Nevertheless, as psychiatrists we feel obliged to express our alarm. We fear that when faced with a crisis, President Trump will lack the judgment to respond rationally.

The military powers entrusted to him endanger us all. We urge our elected representatives to take the necessary steps to protect us from this dangerous president.

Last month, 35 mental health professionals wrote to the newspaper warning the grave emotional instability indicated by Mr Trumps behaviour made him incapable of serving safely as President.

This drew some criticism as it is usually frowned upon among psychiatrists to give a professional opinion of the mental state of someone they have not examined in person, as dictated by a passage in the American Psychiatric Associations code of ethics known as the Goldwater rule.

Stephen Colbert on Trump's wiretapping claims: Someone get this guy a Xanax

Professor Herman and Dr Lifton gave the Presidents unsubstantiated claim that Barack Obama ordered a wiretap of his phones during the presidential campaign as an example of his irrational behaviour.

Even within the space of a few weeks, the demands of the presidency have magnified his erratic patterns of behaviour, they wrote.

We are struck by his repeated failure to distinguish between reality and fantasy, and his outbursts of rage when his fantasies are contradicted. Without any demonstrable evidence, he repeatedly resorts to paranoid claims of conspiracy.

Most recently, in response to suggestions of contact between his campaign and agents of the Russian government, he has issued tirades against the press as an enemy of the people and accusations without proof that his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, engaged in partisan surveillance against him.

Harvard Law School professor Noah Feldman said if Mr Trumps allegations regarding Mr Obama were proved false, a major scandal would arise that could lead to his impeachment.

The President recently posted a series of early-morning tweets in which he accused his predecessor of ordered the wiretap.

Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! he wrote.

Is it legal for a sitting President to be wire tapping a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!

How low has President Obama gone to tapp [sic] my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!

Mr Trump did not provide any evidence for his claims and his spokespeople have consistently refused to do so.

Professor Feldman said that, if the allegations are true, the scandal would be of Watergate-level proportions but that a similar sized controversy would also result if they are proved to be unsubstantiated.

View post:
Donald Trump: Psychiatry professors say 'dangerous' US President must be removed from post for public safety - The Independent

Donald Trump Met Russian Ambassador During The Campaign, Despite Repeated Denials – Huffington Post

President Donald Trump and his advisers have, on dozens of occasions, denied Trumps campaign aides and other associates had any contact with Russian officials.

Those denials were not true. At least five members of his teammet with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak before Trump officially took office.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders tried to mitigate the spiraling situation last week, telling reporters the main issue was that Trump himself had never met with any Russian government officials during the campaign.

The big point here is the president himself knows what his involvement was, and thats zero, Huckabee Sanders said on March 3. And I think that hes the primary person that should be held responsible, and he had no interaction, and I think thats what the story should be focused on.

But according to a May 13, 2016 report in The Wall Street Journalnoticed by AmericaBlog, Trump had at least some interaction with Kislyak on April 27, right in the midst of campaign season.

The communication happened right before Trump delivered a foreign policy speech at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

I believe an easing of tensions, and improved relations with Russiafrom a position of strength onlyis possible, absolutely possible, Mr. Trump said in a foreign-policy speech at Washingtons Mayflower Hotel in April. Some say the Russians wont be reasonable. I intend to find out.

A few minutes before he made those remarks, Mr. Trump met at a VIP reception with Russias ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak. Mr. Trump warmly greeted Mr. Kislyak and three other foreign ambassadors who came to the reception.

It is not clear what Trump and Kislyak discussed, or how extensive the interaction was. The New York Times also recently mentioned that Kislyak had attended Trumps speech. Dimitri Simes, president of the Center for the National Interest, told the outlet he had simply introduced Trump to Kislyak in a receiving lineat the hotel:

Mr. Simes introduced Mr. Kislyak to Mr. Trump in a receiving line last April at a foreign policy speech hosted by his center at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington. Mr. Kislyak was one of four ambassadors who sat in the front row for Mr. Trumps speech at the invitation of the center. Mr. Simes noted that Mr. Sessions, then a senator from Alabama, was there, but he did not notice whether he and the ambassador spoke at that time.

Huckabee Sanders told The Huffington Post on Tuesday that there was no real meeting with Kisylak.

The National Interest hosted Mr. Trumps foreign policy speech and pre-speech reception. Several ambassadors were present. Mr. Trump was at the reception for about five minutes and then went immediately to the podium, she said. We have no recollection of who he may have shaken hands with at the reception and we were not responsible for inviting or vetting guests. To state a meeting took place is disingenuous and extremely misleading.

Simes also said he didnt think there would have been time for an extensive meeting between Trump and the ambassador.

From everything I saw, when the receiving line was over, the Secret Service led Mr. Trump to a specially cleared holding area behind the podium where he was supposed to speak, he said Tuesday. There would have been no opportunity for him to talk to Kislyak separately. After the speech was over, Mr. Trump returned to the holding area and then left the hotel without any time or format for a private encounter with anyone. Again, the Secret Service managed his movements.

Trump has been unable to move on from his administrations ties to Russia after U.S. intelligence agencies concluded the Russian government had interfered in the U.S. election to help Trump defeat Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. So far, there is no evidence of collusion between Trumps team and the Russian government.

But the administration has taken hits as reports come out that some of the presidents top campaign officials met with Russian officials, despite denying they had done so. Michael Flynn stepped down as national security adviser in February over the issue, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently promised to recuse himself from the Justice Departments investigations into Russias meddling in the presidential race after The Washington Post reported that he hadmet with Russias ambassador twice during the campaign.

During his confirmation hearing, Sessions told senators that he did not have communications with the Russians.

Trump himself told NBC News on Jan. 11 that no members of his campaign staff hadcommunicated with Russian officials.

This story has been updated with comment from Dimitri Simes and the White House.

Want more updates from Amanda Terkel? Sign up for her newsletter, Piping Hot Truth, here.

See original here:
Donald Trump Met Russian Ambassador During The Campaign, Despite Repeated Denials - Huffington Post